Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed Tuesday’s very important safety tips. Today, I’m back to dive into sharing the real details of our trip, my 2nd trip, to New York City. To start out, I want to share about our experience at the 9/11 Memorial, and tomorrow I’ll share in depth about the 9/11 Museum. 

In my opinion, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum are absolute musts while visiting New York City. This was at the top of my husband’s must do/see list, and we spent quite a bit of time there taking it all in. 

The bronze leaves of the trees really set the tone for the memorial at the time we visited, and were really quite a beautiful site. The beautiful swamp white oak trees cover the grounds and surround the memorial pools to really bring peace to the area. You can read more about the carefully selected trees here. I even a Christmas ornament of a bronze leaf I purchased on my first visit to the memorial in 2013.

Speaking of my first visit, you might wonder why I made a point to take a photo with Peter L. Freund. On my first visit, his name stood out to me. A white rose was placed in his engraved name, which I later learned meant that day was his birthday. Though we were about a week early to visit on the same day, I couldn’t help but visit him again as his name and story touched me so much. This go round, I was also able to learn more about him at the 9/11 Museum which I’ll share about tomorrow. The museum really brings the names on the memorial pools, and helps us remember these are more than just names. They are people, once living, thriving people with families and livelihoods that were taken far too soon. Other names that really stand out on the memorial are those with unborn children. I am so glad that these precious babies are acknowledged, remembered, and memorialized along with their mothers on the memorial. It is a tough pill to swallow, but it is the reality of that fateful day. The terrorists took no regard for human lives, not even their own. 

Though the 9/11 Memorial is a difficult place to visit, it is also a beautiful one. I believe the designers have done an incredible job of creating a space that is warm & welcoming all while paying due respects to those who are gone. The architecture of the two memorial pools, which are exactly where the twin towers once stood, is impeccable. The waters begin flowing at the names, and flow to the center into the earth. 

It is also quite difficult to imagine the massiveness of these pools until you see them in person. It is almost overwhelming to grasp the thought that two once strong buildings crumbled in this very place that is now a beautiful homage to those lost. The 9/11 Museum really puts it all into perspective, making it an essential place to visit during your time around the memorial.  

Though it is a sad, solemn place, I hope you can appreciate its beauty as well. Beauty in eternal life and in the future. 
If you are traveling to New York, please consider making this a stop during your visit. You won’t regret it.
Thank you for stopping in. I’ll see you back tomorrow for more on the 9/11 Museum.